Approximately, 20% of Wood Dale students qualify to receive second language services so it is important that our classroom teachers know and understand how to differentiate instruction for these students. Linguistically responsive practice embraces a holistic approach to improving the education of English Language Learners (ELLs). At the classroom level, teachers use foundational knowledge of language to recognize the background and needs of students, analyze language demands associated with academic tasks, and scaffold learning for academic development.
As part of curriculum development for all WD7 students, every grade level developed integrated units aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Dr. Heineke will show teachers how to seamlessly integrate ESL/sheltered strategies into all stages of the Understanding by Design curriculum process used by District 7 teachers. In addition, she will provide teachers opportunity to collaborate and discuss about the successes and challenges of educating ELLs.
The anticipated outcome is that our teachers will be more confident in providing sheltered instruction to their students and making instructional decisions based on the students’ language proficiency levels. In turn, our students academic achievement will increase across all content areas.
Teachers with their bilingual and/or ESL endorsement, PreK-8, will work with Dr. Heineke for 3 consecutive sessions. Specific needs of teachers will be targeted by organizing teachers into 3 groups: PreK/K, 1st/2nd, and 3rd-8th grade.